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Rabat – Morocco is in the top 10 of African countries that spent the most on Schengen visas that got rejected last year, new data shows.
According to statistics shared with Morocco World News from Schengen Visa Info, Moroccans spent $10.50 million on Schengen visa applications last year.
The number includes an overall rejection rate of 28.20%, with 119,346 out of 423,201 applications rejected, said Schengen Visa Info, acknowledging the hurdles and challenges African travelers have to navigate when applying for a Schengen visa.
“Many African travelers face complex procedures, lengthy waiting times, and also high rates of visa denials,” noted Schengen Visa Info.
Another platform, Schengen Visa Statistics, shared similar data earlier this month, indicating that most of the Schengen visas rejected were from France.
Out of more than 160,000 visa applications to France, over 50,000 were rejected, setting the country’s rejection rate at nearly 32%. Meanwhile, Spain rejected over 50,000 of the nearly 200,000 applications for Spanish visas. This means France and Spain were responsible for 85% of all Schengen visa rejections.
Frustration over Schengen visa rejections has been mounting in Morocco over the past couple of years, particularly following France’s controversial decision to slash by half the number of visas to Moroccan applicants in 2021.
In mid-December 2022, however, France claimed that it had restored full consular services with Morocco. But the claim has been disputed by many Moroccan applicants who continue to face consular challenges.
Alongside Moroccans, Algerians top the list of Africans with the most visa expenditures, with data indicating Algerians spent $15.78 million on Schengen visa applications in 2022.
The data further shows that Algerians’ visa rejection rate stood at 45.76%. Third and fourth on the list of countries with the highest expenditures on Schengen visas are Tunisia, Nigeria, Egypt, and Senegal.
